Statistically Speaking

On Tuesday, Barack Obama was re-elected as President. The New York Times political blogger Nate Silver projected the outcome of the election based on polling data, and when Florida’s electoral votes were decided on Saturday, the accuracy of his predictions finally became clear. Here are some facts about Silver and the election:

51: The number of states (plus the District of Columbia) whose electoral votes Silver correctly predicted.

332: The number of electoral votes won by Obama.

20 percent: The likelihood with which Silver said Obama would win 332 electoral votes.

90.9 percent: The likelihood with which Silver said Obama would win the election.